Avengers: Endgame's Ending Explained (Including Encore's New Scenes)

Updated Sep 24, 2026, 2:31 PM EDT Sign in to your ScreenRant account WARNING: Major spoilers for Avengers: Endgame Encore. Avengers: Endgame's ending is the high-stakes close to a story Marvel Studios built for 11 years and an emotional send-off to some of the MCU's biggest characters, and 7 years later, it was just rewritten by Marvel's Avengers: Endgame Encore re-release. Now that the film is back in theaters, it is time to break it all down, from the major events of the original cut to the new footage and how it sets up Avengers: Doomsday. When we meet the Avengers again, the surviving heroes have all either retired, continued a seemingly hopeless search, or turned down a darker path of murdering bad guys to numb their own pain. But, once Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) teases Tony Stark with the possibility of time travel, everything falls into place, and the Avengers (with a couple of Guardians of the Galaxy in tow) hop through time stealing Infinity Stones from past MCU films with the hope of reversing Thanos' snap. You know how it goes, but there was a lot of subtext that wasn't seen first time around, and now, the new footage revealed in Avengers: Endgame Encore makes rewatching and revisiting the major events even more important. There was already a lot to discuss about Avengers: Endgame's ending, including the return of the snap victims, death of Iron Man, new direction for Thor, new life for Captain America, and now it's even bigger. After 7 years, the MCU has added to the Endgame story with multiple retcons and additional ideas introduced throughout Phase 4, which effectively became a mournful epilogue to the movie dealing with Earth's attempts to heal. Considering the Russos designed Endgame to be a full-stop on the Infinity Saga, it's funny how that worked out. And it's even funnier that we're all back here again. We'll start with how Avengers: Endgame Encore's new footage changes the original and sets up Avengers: Doomsday. Steve Rogers Gets His Dance (& Life) With Peggy Carter In The Past... After spending the last decade as the man out of time, Captain America takes his opportunity to give himself the life he never got. Instead of going back to join the Avengers after his solo mission to return the Stones to their timelines, Steve decides to stay in the past so he can have his long-awaited dance with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). Old Man Steve returns to the present, refuses to tell his and Peggy's story, and smiles wryly. Since then, we learned that Cap created a branch by going back into the past, but it was initially considered an intended part of the Sacred Timeline (as established in Loki) and wasn't pruned. Presumably, this version of Peggy didn't die of old age alone (and married to someone else) around the time of Captain America: Civil War. S.H.I.E.L.D. · Clearance Assessment How Well Do You KnowThe Avengers? 🌏OriginsAssembled ☠VillainsInevitable ⚡BattlesEndgame 🛡TeamInitiative 💫LegacyForever AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! → 01 The Avengers first assembled in Marvel Comics in 1963. In the original comic, the team formed to battle a villain who had been manipulated by his adopted brother. Which villain brought the original Avengers together? AUltron BThanos CLoki DKang the Conqueror ✓ Correct! In Avengers #1 (September 1963), Loki manipulated the Hulk into going on a rampage, which led Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp to band together. They defeated Loki and decided to form a permanent team — the Avengers were born. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Loki. In the original 1963 comic, Loki tricked the Hulk into a rampage, which brought together Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. Ultron came later, Thanos is a cosmic threat, and Kang is a time-traveling villain. NEXT → 02 In the MCU, Tony Stark famously declared “I am Iron Man” at a press conference, breaking the superhero tradition of secret identities. In which year’s MCU film did Tony Stark first appear as Iron Man? A2006 B2008 C2010 D2012 ✓ Correct! Iron Man (2008) launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and starred Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The film’s post-credits scene with Nick Fury teased the Avengers Initiative, kicking off the most successful film franchise in history. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is 2008. Iron Man premiered on May 2, 2008, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr. It was the first film in the MCU and set the stage for everything that followed. NEXT → 03 Thanos, the Mad Titan, sought to collect all six Infinity Stones to achieve his genocidal goal. In Avengers: Infinity War, he succeeded in his plan. What did Thanos do with the completed Infinity Gauntlet? ADestroyed the universe BSnapped away half of all life CBecame ruler of Earth DTraveled back in time ✓ Correct! With a single snap of his fingers, Thanos wiped out half of all living creatures in the universe. Known as “The Blip,” this devastating act erased trillions of lives and set the stage for the Avengers’ desperate time heist in Endgame to undo the damage. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is that Thanos snapped away half of all life in the universe. His twisted philosophy of “balance” drove him to commit universal genocide with a single snap, making it one of the most shocking moments in cinema history. NEXT → 04 In Avengers: Endgame, Captain America proved worthy of wielding Thor’s enchanted hammer during the final battle against Thanos. What is the name of Thor’s hammer? AStormbreaker BGungnir CMjolnir DJarnbjorn ✓ Correct! Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, bears the inscription “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Captain America wielding it in Endgame was one of the most celebrated moments in MCU history. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Mjolnir. Stormbreaker is the axe Thor forged in Infinity War, Gungnir is Odin’s spear, and Jarnbjorn is an axe Thor used in the comics before Mjolnir. Mjolnir is the iconic enchanted hammer. NEXT → 05 Black Widow, born Natasha Romanoff, is one of the founding MCU Avengers. Before joining S.H.I.E.L.D., she was trained as an assassin in a secret Soviet program. What is the name of this program? AThe Red Room BHYDRA Academy CThe Winter Soldier Program DDepartment X ✓ Correct! The Red Room was a covert Soviet training facility that turned young girls into elite spies and assassins known as Black Widows. Natasha was subjected to brutal conditioning and sterilization. Her escape and defection to S.H.I.E.L.D. was explored in the 2021 Black Widow film. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is The Red Room. HYDRA is a separate evil organization, the Winter Soldier Program created Bucky Barnes, and Department X is from the comics. The Red Room is the infamous Soviet program that forged Natasha into Black Widow. NEXT → 06 The Hulk was created when Dr. Bruce Banner was exposed to massive amounts of radiation during a weapons test. What type of radiation transformed Banner into the Hulk? ACosmic Rays BPym Particles CGamma Radiation DTerrigen Mist ✓ Correct! Dr. Bruce Banner was caught in the blast of a gamma bomb he designed, absorbing a massive dose of gamma radiation. This transformed him into the Hulk — a being of near-limitless strength whose power increases with his rage. Gamma radiation remains central to the Hulk’s mythology. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Gamma Radiation. Cosmic Rays gave the Fantastic Four their powers, Pym Particles are Ant-Man’s shrinking technology, and Terrigen Mist activates Inhuman abilities. Gamma radiation is what created the Incredible Hulk. NEXT → 07 In the MCU, after Steve Rogers retired as Captain America, he passed his shield to a new hero to carry on the legacy. Who became the new Captain America? ABucky Barnes BSam Wilson CJohn Walker DIsaiah Bradley ✓ Correct! At the end of Avengers: Endgame, an elderly Steve Rogers chose Sam Wilson — the Falcon — to carry on the Captain America legacy. Sam’s journey to embrace the shield was explored in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, and he fully took up the mantle as Captain America. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Sam Wilson. While Bucky Barnes was Captain America in the comics, Steve chose Sam in the MCU. John Walker was temporarily given the shield by the government, and Isaiah Bradley was a forgotten super soldier from the past. NEXT → 08 Ultron is an artificial intelligence who becomes one of the Avengers’ deadliest enemies. In the MCU’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which Avenger inadvertently created Ultron? ABruce Banner BHank Pym CTony Stark DVision ✓ Correct! Tony Stark created the Ultron program as a global peacekeeping AI, using technology from Loki’s scepter (which contained the Mind Stone). The AI became sentient and immediately decided humanity needed to be eradicated. In the comics, Hank Pym created Ultron, but the MCU shifted this to Stark. ✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Tony Stark. While Hank Pym created Ultron in the comics, the MCU changed this to Tony Stark. Bruce Banner assisted but it was Tony’s initiative. Vision was actually created from Ultron’s technology, not the other way around. REVEAL MY SCORE → Mission Debriefing Your Avengers Clearance Level / 8 Are you worthy of lifting Mjolnir — or still a S.H.I.E.L.D. trainee? ↻ ASSEMBLE AGAIN ...But Peggy & Steve's Peace Doesn't Last In the new footage added to Avengers: Endgame Encore, we see an extended version of the scene showing Peggy and Steve's emotional reunion in the past, before they're interrupted by someone at the door. Peggy answers, with Steve hiding (suggesting he intended to remain hidden), to reveal Tom Hiddleston's Loki, in his TVA uniform. She says, “Can I help you?” and he replies mysteriously, “No, but I can help you. Both of you.” It's actually unclear when this scene happens: Loki's choice of uniform suggests it comes at some point before the end of Loki season 2, when Loki becomes God Loki - the protector of the timeline - and the fact that he's walking around normally and not tied to his cosmic throne further suggests that reading. And what is he promising to help Peggy and Steve with? If Doctor Doom's mission is to rectify the events that caused the incursions and reverse the "stolen lives" mentioned in the trailer, it would be logical that he's also targeting Steve. This appears to be Loki offering sanctuary, which also can't last given Steve returns from retirement in Doomsday too. The TVA Witness The Collapse of the Multiverse Another of Endgame Encore's new scenes takes us back to the TVA. At the end of Loki, we saw Owen Wilson's Mobius and Ke Huy Quan's Ouroboros, who both reappear here, reestablishing the Time Variance Authority as a temporal police force, including monitoring the rise of Kang. Must have solved that one off-screen... Anyway, the TVA also returned in Deadpool & Wolverine, which further revealed their continued duties, including monitoring dying timelines. With the removal of rogue agent Mr. Paradox, their duties presumably snapped back into place. In the new Endgame Encore scene, Mobius and his team witness universes crashing into each other, with one, then three, then hundreds, then thousands of incursions, and chaos breaking out. A panicked Ouroboros notes that the multiverse is collapsing, which establishes what we'd known for a long time: that universes were crashing into one another (as we first saw threatened in Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Marvels). This is the key scene for explaining why Doctor Doom starts his mission, and its placement at the end of Avengers: Endgame also confirms that the events of the Time Heist are directly linked to the incursions. As Tony Stark said before his death, "You mess with time, it tends to mess back." This adds new meaning to that scene. The most interesting of the new Avengers: Endgame Encore scenes sees the confirmed return of Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner after Spider-Man: Brand New Day's ending. To recap, after his rampage in Brand New Day, when Jean Grey removed his suppression device, Hulk went savage, rampaged, tried to kill Spider-Man, and was then captured and carted off to an uncertain future. Endgame Encore's post-credits scene reveals that Banner went into self-containment in a bunker two miles underground to avoid Hulk escaping again. In a video diary entry, he also reveals that he's still working on a solution for Hulk, and is this time focusing his efforts on a gamma suppression serum. His work is interrupted by the arrival of Doctor Doom off-screen, who says he is there to "collect" him, before Banner Hulks out and bellows in rage. Rumors have been rife that Doctor Doom is recruiting heroes as part of his mission to save the multiverse, with Doctor Strange widely expected to be one of his allies (as he was in the Secret Wars comic) and other names thrown out as powerful sidekicks, including Clea and Scarlet Witch. No matter how the specifics play out, we now know Doom IS recruiting heroes, and Hulk (or Banner) is his first confirmed target. Banner is a genius and a useful strategist, of course, so his recruitment makes sense, and he comes with the almighty bonus of being one of the most powerful Avengers of all. It's a bold move by Doom that essentially immediately establishes his power level, too. One doesn't just walk in and take down a Hulk, after all. Doctor Doom Completely Changes Endgame's Iron Man Tribute The final new addition to Endgame in the re-release retcons the final moments of the original cut. Originally, after the credits ended, the Russos included audio from Iron Man of Tony Stark forging the first Iron Man armor, celebrating the importance of the character and that movie as the founding stone of the entire franchise. It was a full-circle moment chosen as a quiet reflection of Tony's importance, and underlining the fact that this was, initially, an ending, and that it wasn't appropriate to look to the future. In the new cut, the noise is revealed not to be Tony Stark's Iron Man armor forging, but rather Doctor Doom forging his own mask. We see flashes of Robert Downey Jr's villain, and his mask being forged. It's an interesting retcon that cleverly suggests Doom's arrival was always planned from this point, even if it robs Tony of his touching tribute. The message is clear, though: Doom's mask and his very mission were forged in the fires of Endgame. And now, back to the major events of the original cut of Avengers: Endgame, with added analysis... How Infinity War’s Snap Victims Come Back To Fight Thanos The Avengers were successful on their missions to acquire the six Infinity Stones for themselves, and after some debate, Bruce Banner aka Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) volunteers to be the one to put on the retro-fitted Iron Man gauntlet to try and bring back the other half of the universe's population. It appears he is able to do this when Hawkeye's (Jeremy Renner) wife calls him on the phone, but Avengers HQ is instantly attacked by Thanos from 2014, who traveled through time himself. Avengers HQ is completely leveled, with Hulk badly injured from the effects of the snap. Iron Man, Steve Rogers aka Captain America (Chris Evans), and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) are the only ones capable of trying to defeat Thanos. But they once again fall short, leaving Cap as the only one left standing before Thanos and the massive army he's assembled. But, just as it appears all hope is lost and Thanos will win again, portals from around the galaxy begin to open up. Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and many other sorcerers - including Wong (Benedict Wong) - are responsible for transporting all of Wakanda, the remaining Asgardians, the other alive MCU heroes, and the now returned snap victims to this location to join the fight. They all remember being dusted, but have no idea what happened in the five years since and are just focused on doing their part to protect the universe once again. Tony Stark Sacrifices Himself To Beat Thanos Even with the full force of the MCU behind them, the fate of the universe ultimately comes down to one key sequence. The Iron Man gauntlet with all six Infinity Stones is up for grabs and Thanos fights off several heroes to get his hands on it. Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) comes in to deliver punishing blows and is about to overpower the Mad Titan, but then he pulls out the Power Stone and uses it to punch her away. It is at this moment that Iron Man sees the window of opportunity and the one chance to win this war and complete Doctor Strange's plan. He jumps back into the fight and uses the nanotech armor to transfer the Infinity Stones to his suit during this exchange with Thanos. With every stone now in his possession, Tony says "I am Iron Man" one more time as he snaps his fingers. Instead of half of the universe randomly being slaughtered, it is now Thanos and his army who are dusted. However, Tony is just a regular human being and by no means as powerful as Hulk or Thanos, who both barely survived snaps of their own. The entire right side of Tony is instantly charred, giving him just a few moments left with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), James Rhodes aka War Machine (Don Cheadle), and Peter Parker aka Spider-Man (Tom Holland) before he dies. Tony Stark’s Funeral Unites The MCU The send-off to the MCU's biggest character is sure to leave fans heartbroken, but it is also used beautifully in Avengers: Endgame to unite the rest of the universe to honor the man who started it all. An intimate funeral is held at Stark's isolated household makes up the massive ensemble scene that many MCU stars previously teased had been filmed. Almost every single character of some significance to Stark or the MCU is present for his goodbye, but also to reflect back and show just how big the universe has become since audiences first heard "I am Iron Man" echoed across theaters. The scene plays as one continuous shot weaving through all of the different characters who have assembled. Pepper, Rhodey, Tony's daughter, and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) all make their way out to the lake after watching a pre-recorded message from Tony just in case this outcome happened. Outside, they are joined by the remaining original Avengers members Cap, Thor, Hulk, and Hawkeye. Tony's newer allies and acquaintances like Peter Parker, Doctor Strange, and Ant-Man all appear, as do the Guardians of the Galaxy. Those with other personal connections to him like Harley Keener (Ty Simpkins), Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), and - of course - Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) mourn his loss, along with several others. They are all here to say goodbye to Tony Stark - who is largely responsible for many of them being here at all thanks to the success of Iron Man in 2008. After the funeral, there are some bridging scenes teasing what comes next; Banner is still injured and in his Professor Hulk form, while Hawkeye and Wanda have one final talk before he returns to his farmhouse to be reunited with his family. We get a quick shot of Wakanda where Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Shuri (Letitia Wright), and Ramonda (Angela Bassett) look over their thriving advanced nation. Peter returns to school an emotional wreck, setting up , but finally gets to see Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) again. Scott sits on his porch with Hope van Dyne aka Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) and an older Cassie Lang (Emma Furhmann), potentially setting up the trio working together in the future. Unfortunately, we don't get to see scenes like these for every character, with Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel among those not to be seen again after the funeral. What Happens To The Infinity Stones? The Infinity Stones have been as central to past seven years of the MCU as just about any actual characters, with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige even dubbing this 22 film story the Infinity Saga. Avengers: Endgame is the end of this story, and by all means, is also the end of the Infinity Stones being part of the ongoing narrative. It's revealed very early on in the movie that Thanos used the power of the stones to destroy them just three weeks after the snap occurs; this is why the Avengers must travel through time to acquire past versions of them. We've already covered how the Avengers use the stones to successfully bring back the fallen and defeat Thanos, but what happened to the stones next? What we do know is that the Infinity Stones must be placed in the exact same point in time in which they were taken to avoid creating further new realities and futures and damning their original branches to doomed futures (an ironic thing to read in 2026). Captain America is tasked with doing this, meaning he will travel to Morag to put back the Power Stone in 2014, Vormir to give back the Soul Stone, the Battle of New York in 2012 to return the Time Stone and Mind Stone, Asgard in 2013 to inject the Reality Stone back into Jane Foster, and place the Space Stone back in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody in 1970. The plan is for him to do this and return five seconds later in the present day, but then he obviously misses the window on purpose to chase his happy ending with Peggy. Why Falcon Becomes The New Captain America (Not Bucky) While Cap didn't make it back to the present day as the plan originally called for, he does return to Avengers HQ to be reunited with his best friends Sam Wilson aka Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) one more time. The old man Steve Rogers is sitting on a bench when Sam and Bucky notice him, and Bucky tells Sam to go over first. Sam mentions to Steve that it will be strange to live in a world without Captain America. Steve uses this opportunity to pull out the star-spangled shield and gives it to Sam, making him the new Captain America. Sam is honored to have the shield, while Bucky appears to be perfectly happy with Steve's decision. The Falcon & The Winter Soldier explored the fallout of Steve's decision, and Sam's conflict over accepting the position, but Steve Roger's decision to pick Sam as the new Cap was actually explained before the Time Heist. He calls Sam "a good man," mirroring the reason the creator of the supersoldier serum chose Steve in the first place, way back in Captain America: The First Avenger. Avengers: Endgame Basically Ends The Avengers Initiative For 7 Years With most of the original Avengers dead, old, or leaving, the Avengers don't end Avengers: Endgame in good shape. Endgame doesn't actually explicitly include a passing of the torch and formation of a new team, and in hindsight, we should have seen the chaotic period that followed coming. Secretary Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt) was at Tony's funeral with all the Avengers and showed no signs of arresting them, so it seemed the Sokovia Accordswere voided, or they were at least temporarily forgiven, but the actual situation was a lot more complex. The Falcon & The Winter Soldier subsequently revealed the Avengers were effectively no more, with Sam Wilson operating alone as a hero for hire, and it took until Captain America: Brave New World for a new Avengers initiative to be formed. Confusingly, Shang-Chi's ending had recruited Simu Liu's hero as an Avenger, but the lack of a sequel put paid to us finding out what was going on there before he returns in Doomsday.Seven years on, the fact that the only Avengers team we've actually seen on screen is the New Avengers - formerly known as the Thunderbolts - is a stunning revelation that nobody analyzing Endgame's original ending could surely have ever predicted. Still, the Avengers - both versions - are back in Avengers: Doomsday, so we can just about forgive the delay. Release Date April 26, 2019 Runtime 181 Minutes Director Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Cast Steve Rogers / Captain America Avengers: Endgame, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, concludes the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Infinity Saga. It follows the remaining Avengers as they attempt to reverse the destruction caused by Thanos.